Christmas markets near you: 93 markets in 40 US cities

Wooden huts, glühwein in a keepsake mug, bratwurst and gingerbread: the German Christmas market has become an American December tradition. We checked the German-style and major holiday markets in 40 metro areas across 26 states — dates, hours and whether it costs anything to get in.

📍 Find one near you

until Christmas

Find a Christmas market near you

Every market is confirmed on the organiser's page or in local press. We list the Christkindlmarkets and the big seasonal markets in each metro, not every church bazaar or one-day craft fair. Where the 2026 dates are out we show them; otherwise last season's — most markets repeat on the same weeks.

93 markets in 26 states

Christmas markets by city

Where the Christmas market comes from

Markets that sold food and gifts in the weeks before Christmas go back to the late Middle Ages in German-speaking towns — Dresden's Striezelmarkt is recorded in 1434, Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is world-famous. German immigrants and, much later, city planners brought the idea to America; Chicago's Christkindlmarket, first held in 1996, made it mainstream, and now almost every big city has one.

What to eat, drink and buy

Glühwein — hot mulled wine — in a mug you can keep or return for a deposit; hot cider and cocoa for kids. Bratwurst in a roll, potato pancakes with applesauce, roasted almonds, raclette, pretzels, Lebkuchen gingerbread and Stollen. To take home: glass ornaments, nutcrackers and smokers, cuckoo clocks, wooden toys, candles and knitwear.

Tips for a good visit

Go on a weekday afternoon or right at opening — Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest. Bring a card, but some huts are cash-only. Check whether weekend entry is ticketed, and look up the market's parking or transit advice; downtown markets are almost always easier by train.

Questions

When do Christmas markets open in the US?: Most open around Thanksgiving — the week before or the Friday after — and run until December 23 or 24; a few, like Bryant Park's Winter Village, stay open into January. Many smaller markets are weekends only.
Are Christmas markets free?: Most are free to walk in. A few charge admission or ask for timed tickets at busy times — each listing below says which.
What is a Christkindlmarket?: The German name for a Christmas market — literally the Christ Child's market. It means wooden huts, glühwein in a souvenir mug, bratwurst, gingerbread and handmade ornaments, as in Nuremberg or Munich.
What should I buy at a Christmas market?: Glass ornaments, nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks, wooden toys, candles and smokers from the Ore Mountains, Lebkuchen and Stollen — and the market's own mug, which is a keepsake of the year.